“Playing with ko-sometsuke: Chinese Blue-and-white In Late Ming Dynasty”

The Museum of Oriental Ceramics, Osaka

Sometsuke is a type of blue-and-white porcelain-ware that was produced during the early 17th century at privately owned kilns in Jingdezhen, a town in Jiangxi Province, China. Ko-sometsuke, the prefix “ko” meaning “old,” is the Japanese name for sometsuke imported from China to Japan.

Though sometsuke was not made using high-quality clay or glazes, the free-spirited decorations and designs made it popular in Japan. They were particularly sought after by tea-ceremony masters to be used as utensils. On show are 23 ko-sometsuke wares; Aug. 2-28.